Tall Magazine Rates New Cars and Trucks By Available Driver's Space, not Available Horsepower

The Tall staff sat, reclined, and stuffed themselves into over 250 new model cars and trucks.

Oakland, CA (PRWEB) January 13, 2005 -- Tall, the only consumer magazine targeting the needs of men over 62" and women over 59", moves into 2005 with a comprehensive look at which of the newly released batch of cars and trucks can be deemed tall-friendly."

The Tall staff - ranging in height from 62" to 611" - spent a full day at the November 2004 San Francisco International Auto Show inspecting every model on the floor.

Unlike other new car reports, the Tall staff looked at aspects of the car overlooked by consumer guides, marketing specialists, and dealers -- but not by a discerning public. How fast a car can go in 60 seconds, an engine's torque, its braking speed, how many speakers come standard; we ignored all that," said Tall publisher Everard Strong, who stands 69". Instead, we went after the three variables that matter most to members of the tall community: legroom, headroom, and visibility."

The report also rated the passengers available space, and an overall grade was given for how everything came together, as was a recommended height" for each vehicle. According to Everard, What we are doing with the report is saying, 'This car may be perfect for someone whos 64", but a 66" person might find it a tight squeeze. Also, a person might have a longer torso or legs, so a cars seating needs might be different for them."

The report, made available in the February issue of Tall magazine (available now through www.tallmagazine.com), offered up several surprises for Everard.

At the Auto Show," says Everard, we noted, much to our chagrin, that a lot more foreign cars were tall-friendly than were domestic models, and were not really sure why that it is. Its not like the American populace is shrinking. In fact all the studies show just the opposite: The American consumer is getting taller."

Also, a lot of the cars that sat on the Auto Show floor had electric seat controls, and were usually left all the way up, so there were many customers -- not just the Tall staff - who couldnt even sit down in these models. We had to go and find what the official interior space specs were for a lot of these models and base our finding on that instead of actually physically sitting in them. But we saw a lot of people move on to another model or manufacturer because they couldnt even sit in a particular model."

The report covers domestic and foreign car manufacturers, ranging from economic compacts to massive trucks to luxury sedans. Select vehicles in each category were also awarded the official Tall magazine Thumbs Up" to reward them for a vehicle in which all the elements came together seamlessly.

Though the guide tries to cover as much ground as possible, Everard recommends that readers use common sense when purchasing a vehicle. The Tall report is only a guideline. Test drive a variety of cars, and find out which one best suits you." He also noted that when purchasing a vehicle, there are certain modifications that can be done to increase leg- and headroom. Replacing an electric seat with a regular one, not having a sunroof installed, opting for a gear shift on the steering column instead of on the floor - these are all options that could increase the amount of space available to a driver."

The February issue of Tall magazine also features a detailed guide to tall-friendly ski lodges, a look at new movies being released in 2005, how to Dunk like Darryl Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins, suggestions on how to customize your home, and more.

Tall Magazine is a bi-monthly publication devoted to the 8.8 million men over 62" and the 5.6 million women over 59" that represent the tall community." Covering an array of topics, each issue includes profiles on celebrities and personalities, current legislation and legal matters, contributed articles on mainstream subjects, regular columns on health, fashion, teen issues, and tall-friendly product reviews.

Its online counterpart, www.tallmagazine.com, provides an online resource for the tall community, complete with a personals section, chat room, discussion board, and marketplace.

Tall Magazine is located at 360 Grand Avenue, #474, Oakland, CA 94610. For more information, or to request a PDF version of the issue, contact Talls publisher, Everard Strong, at editor@tallmagazine.com.

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Note: Photos, magazine cover shots, and downloadable PDFs of the issue are available upon request.